Mowbray Park. Image courtesy of R J McNaughton through creative commons.
Sunderland’s Mowbray Park dates back to the 1830’s and is one of the oldest parks in the North East. It was also voted the best park in Britain in 2008.
The park came about after the first cholera epidemic in 1831 when a health inspector suggested building a leafy green area in the town. The government provided a grant of £750 to buy a £2,000 plot of land owned by the Mowbray family on which the park could be built. The park was named after the Mowbray family in recognition of their contribution to the local community.
Work initially began in the mid 1850’s on what was to be known as ‘The Peoples Park’. The aim being to provide the Victorian community with a small green area on which they could spend time.
The park was opened by Lord Mayor of Sunderland, John Candlish, on 21st 1857. On the opening day many shops closed early and thousands of people attended the ceremony. Following the great use of the park an extension was opened in 1866 which featured a lake and terrace, then in 1879 the Winter Gardens Museum was added. (click here for my post on the Winter Gardens Museum)
Statue of John Candlish. Image courtesy of Craigy144 through creative commons.
There is a statue in the centre of the park to commemorate John Candlish who was mayor of Sunderland from 1866 to 1874.
During the Second World War the park was hit numerous times by bombs and many of the iron structures were taken away and melted down for weapons. The open spaces that were left were then converted into vegetable patches.
After the war, the park was neglected. The civic centre was built on the West side of the park and the area became known for antisocial behaviour and considered an unsafe area. In 1993 over £13,000 of damage was caused and a survey by the Sunderland Echo found that people were scared to use the park due to fear of abusive behaviour.
Mowbray Park Bandstand Image courtesy of Craigy144 through creative commons.
After a public campaign, in 1944 work began to restore the park the back to its full Victorian glory. This was all funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund which provided a grant of £3.3 million. The gardens were re-built, the lake restored, the bandstand was re-built and new artworks were added to the newly shaped park. A large adventure playground in the theme of Alice in Through the Looking Glass was built, this features a giant distorted chequer board with large chess pieces. After this restoration work the park re-opened to the public in 2000.
The first year after re-opening the park received over 800,000 visitors making it the most visited attraction outside of London.
Today the park is still an important part of local community life both for families and adults alike.
Ryhope Engines’ Museum . Image courtesy of she_who_must through creative commons.
The Ryhope Engines Museum is a visitor attraction in Ryhope, Sunderland. It is based on the Ryhope pumping station that was built in 1868 to supply water for the city of Sunderland until 1967 when it ceased operation.
Regarded as one of the finest North-East industrial monuments the grade two listed building is the most visited landmark in Ryhope. The building is now owned by Northumbrian Water, who are the successors to Sunderland and South Shields Water Company who built the station in the 1860’s.
Due to the growth of the industrial revolution and the increase of coal mining communities and other new industries in Northumberland there became a much greater need for water for both domestic and industrial use. Although there were various natural sources such as rivers and natural springs, more was needed for the industries and cleaner water was needed for domestic use, the latter due to the increasing number of cholera outbreaks, both nationally and locally. To resolve this new sources of water needed sourced and this was why locally the Sunderland and South Shields Water Company was established in 1852.
Thomas Hawksley. Image courtesy of Dumelow through public domain.
The demand for water meant that 1864 four acres of land in Ryhope were acquired on which to build the water station. In May the following year Thomas Hawksley (image above) who’s position of Engineer to the Company, was asked to provide designs for the ‘new waterworks’.
The building of the station, four-years after the land was bought, did not come without its own problems. The foundations of the building had to serve as support not only to the building itself and the beam engines but also to the well heads. This meant the engine’s and engine house had to be built together and not interfere with the sinking of the wells.
The station served its purpose of providing water for both the local industries and domestic uses until 1967. Two main reasons for the ceasing of the station were; there was a risk of salt water entering the system form the North Sea and the systems had began to collect calcium carbonate deposits which were known to cause cardiovascular diseases in humans. The closure of the station led to reservoirs such as Derwent and Kielder being built which were cheaper to run and provided a better quality of water.
Calcium Carbonate. Image courtesy of Craig Elliott through creative commons.
Although the station ceased operation in 1967 the two Victorian beam engines are kept in working order by volunteer members of the Ryhope Engines Trust for the public to see. The two engines are similar to a pair of double acting compound rotative beam engines which were built by a local North East firm R & W Hawthorn of Newcastle. Each beam in the engines weighs up to 22 tons with the flywheels weighing 18 tons. These engines can be seen in operation on various weekends and public holidays during the year.
One of Ryhope’s two double acting compound beam engines Double acting compound beam engine, taken from the beam floor. Image courtesy of Amii and David through creative commons.
In addition to the beam engines the museum also contains three 1908 Lancashire boilers (two of which are still in regular service), a blacksmiths forge, a waterwheel, a number of steam engines and pumps as well as a replica plumbers shop. Other items on show include depth recorders and tools used within the waterworks industry. In addition to this visitors are now able to see through a viewing panel in the floor to the bottom of the 250-foot well shaft that is located in engine house.
Boiler Room. Image courtesy of Amii and David through creative commons.
Below are the opening and steaming dates for 2014
Easter April 18th – 21st, (With classic cars on the 20th only)
Spring bank Holiday May 24th – 26th,
August Bank Holiday August 23rd – 25th
Heritage Open Days September 13th & 14th
Blackberry Week Steaming and Classic Car Rally October 25th & 26th. Cars Only on Sunday 26th
The Museum is open between 11.00 – 16.00 each day when in steam.
The museum is open as a static exhibit every Sunday afternoon 14.00 – 17.00 between Easter until the end of December.
Admission to all events is FREE thanks to the support of Northumbrian Water, providing access to an important part of this region’s industrial heritage.
Winter Gardens. Image courtesy of Ian Britton through creative commons.
The Winter Gardens Museum was established in 1846 in the Athenaeum Building on Fawcett Street and was the first municipally funded museum in the country outside of London. It contains Britain’s only known example of a gliding reptile, which is also the oldest vertebrate capable of gliding flight and was discovered in Eppleton Quarry.
Eppleton Quarry. Image courtesy of Nick Garratt through creative commons.
In 1879, the museum moved to its current building next to Mowbray Park on Burdon Road, it now includes a library and winter garden based on the Crystal Palace Gardens that stood in Hyde Park, London.
The U.S President, Ulysses S. Grant, was in attendance at the laying of the foundation stone by Samuel Storey in 1877 and the building opened in 1879. During World War II, Winter Gardens was damaged by a parachute mine in 1941. It was later demolished with a 1960s extension in its place. In 2001 a lottery funded refurbishment of the Museum provided a Winter Gardens extension.
Example of a parachute bomb from 1945. Image courtesy of USAF through public domain.
The Winter Gardens in 2003 was recognised as the most attended museum outside of London. It has various exhibitions such as a large collection of the locally made Sunderland Lustreware Pottery, a stuffed Lion, the remains of a Walrus brought back from Siberia in the 1880’s and the first Nissan car made in Sunderland .
Example of Lustreware Pottery. Image courtesy of VAwebteam through creative commons.
LS. Lowry described Sunderland as his second home after discovering it in 1960. The museum has a collection of his artwork which is only surpassed by the Lowry Gallery in Manchester.
The Winter Gardens also houses an excellent botanical collection of over 2000 plants and trees, displayed to their full splendour in naturalistic settings under a single-span opaque 30 metre dome. This is a great exhibition for the budding green fingered enthusiast. Visitors can see many growing examples of trees and plants from around the world such as tea, coffee, sugar, citrus fruits, date palms, bananas, pineapple, mango, the vanilla orchid and gingers, as well as a number of plants that are used to make many important medicines.
Winter Gardens walkway and water feature. Image courtesy of Glen Bowman through creative commons.
A walkway allows visitors to take to the treetops, where they can look at all the amazing sights the gardens have to offer. There are also some more commonly known plants that are more familiar with holidaymakers as well as some spectacular water features both inside and out.
The museum is open Monday – Saturday 10am – 5pm, and Sunday 2pm – 5pm and it is free entry.
Penshaw monument. Image courtesy of Walt Jabsco through creative commons.
Penshaw Monument is a folly that was built in 1844 and is dedicated to John Lambton, the first Earl of Durham. It stands on Penshaw Hill between the two Sunderland districts of Washington and Houghten le-Spring. The correct title of the structure is The Earl of Durham’s Monument but it is better know to local people as Penshaw Monument.
Penshaw Monument by night. Image courtesy of Old System through creative commons.
The monument’s more commonly known name of “Penshaw” derives from a mixture of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon words. Pen is a Brythonic or Cumbric word for hill, as in the name Penrith, and shaw is derived from sceaga meaning “wooded area”; and finally the Old/Middle/Modern English word “hill”. The name thus means “wooded-hill hill”.
The 70 foot high folly is a replica of the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens and can be seen for miles around. It is considered to be the most beloved landmark for Wear-siders and it appears on the badge of Sunderland Football Club.
The monument stands at 20 meters high, 30 meters long and 16 metres wide. Each of the columns have a 2 meter diameter. The monument was designed by John and Benjamin Green and built by Thomas Pratt of Sunderland, it was built in a Doric order which was one of the three systems used in ancient Greek architecture.
Penshaw Monument. Image courtesy of Peter Mulligan through creative commons.
The foundation stone was laid by Thomas Dundas, the 2nd Earl of Zetland, on 28th August 1844. This was four years after the death of John Lambton. The folly is made of gritstone from the Marquess of Londonderry’s quarries on the east coast. The stone blocks are held together with steel pins and brackets.
In 1926 on Easter Monday a 15-yea-old boy named Temperley Arthur Scott fell to his death from the top of the monument. He was with three friends when it happened and 20 others witnessed the accident. They had reached the roof via the staircase and had done two circuits round the roof but on the third Scott moved to avoid a visitor and fell from an area with no protective wall. After this incident it was decided that the monument staircase would be shut to the public.
Penshaw folly remained closed to the public up until 29th August 2011 when a special National Trust opening granted access for the public. This was a test to see if the monument should open on future one-off days. It was so popular that more than 2000 people turned up, however not all of them were able to go to the top of the monument but were asked to give contact details in order to be given priority on the next open day.
National Trust Stone. Image courtesy of Jacqui through creative commons.
Visitors have the opportunity to use the hidden staircase which is in one of the pillars in order to enjoy the views from the top of the monument. This is usually done on weekends at a cost of £5 per person between Good Friday until the end of September; all funds being used for the upkeep of the monument.
As we are now nearing Easter and the folly is soon to be open to the public I would certainly recommend a visit.
Monkwearmouth Station Museum. Image courtesy of schultzstm.
The Monkwearmouth Station Museum which opened in 1973 is a grade 2 listed 1840s Victorian station building. It gives the ability for visitors to be transported back to the mid 1800s and see how a Victorian age train station operated. The Museum is family friendly with activities for all ages.
The Museum houses seven interactive galleries, including an award winning children’s interactive gallery. There are also a wide range of activities for children during school holidays.
Commemorative plaque on George Hudson Street. Image courtesy of Keith Seabridge.
The station was designed by Thomas Moore of Sunderland and commissioned by the famous railway entrepreneur George Hudson. It opened in 1848 as the main station in Sunderland for trains from Gateshead and Newcastle.
George Hudson portrait. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.
The Station closed in 1967 as a result of the Beeching Axe which was carried out in order to the reduce the number of routes, help with restructuring of the Railways in Great Britain and to prevent losses. due to the rise of road transport. Beeching’s name is to this day still associated with the mass closure of railways. More information can be found in the two reports that were written by Dr Richard Beeching and were published by the British Railway Boards these are: The Reshaping of British Railways (1963) and The Development of the Major Railway Trunk Routes (1965).
Dr Richard Beeching. Image courtesy of James.
The BBC produced a TV comedy series entitled “Oh, Doctor Beeching!” which ran from 1995 until 1997. It was set in a small fictional railway station threatened with closure under the Beeching Axe. Below is the first episode of the series.
Portico of Monkwearmouth Station. Image courtesy of Colin.
The stations magnificent portico leads into a grand entrance hall and well preserved booking office, both of which display many of the original features from the station such as the ticket booths, fireplaces and shuttered windows.
Station platform door. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.
The Museum features many personal stories from those who remember an age when Monkwearmouth was the main station for the city and when the building was alive with the hustle and bustle of people passing through. The building has been brought back to life through its displays and its £1million renovated interior. It is a very important feature of the city which displays the railway heritage of Sunderland.
Interactive Gallery. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.
The Wagon Shed
The Wagon Shed which is to the side of the museum and holds two railway wagons, which originate from the early 20th century and which have been carefully restored to their original appearance.
One is a an orange Covered Carriage Truck built at Darlington in 1939 and the earliest surviving example of its kind. This wagon was used to transport cars, and now houses a gleaming 1963 Rover P4 car, on loan from the National Motor Museum Beaulieu (which can be seen in the image below). The other wagon is a 10-ton Goods Brake Van built at Shildon Wagon Works, County Durham in 1916.
The Wagon Shed features interactive displays for all ages and has films of what life was like when these important vehicles were in use and of the modern day uses of the railway on which the station sits.
The Wagon Shed. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.
The Journeys Gallery
The Journeys Gallery explores every aspect of journeys and why people make them. It also features some of the items people to keep entertained, right up to the modern day. The gallery features a wide variety of themes including ‘A Trip to London’, ‘War Time Journeys’ and ‘Food on the Move’, as well as rare film footage of Sunderland in the early 1900s.
Journeys Gallery. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.
The Children’s Gallery
Children can go to the museum and have fun in the specially designed Children’s Gallery. They experience how it feels to be at the control of a train. They can also play dress up and become a fireman, a policeman or even a paramedic. The gallery also features lots of toys and books relating to different transportation systems so they can play and learn and let their imagination run wild at the same time.
Childrens interactive area . Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.
Booking Office
Monkwearmouth Station is brought to life in the original 1860s booking office. Meet David Thompson Hide the station master and learn more about his life in the Station and his home in the rooms above.
Ticket Office. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.
Monkwearmouth Shop
The museum shop sells a wide range of transport themed books, toys and stationery.
Platform Gallery
Watch modern day Metro trains pass by the station platform and learn more about the types of trains which used to run through every day. Or take a break and let off some steam and visit the eatery where you can relax whilst watching the trains go by.
Signals Platform. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.
Monkwearmouth Station Museum is managed by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums on behalf of Sunderland City Council.
Thomas The Tank Engine. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.
Of course no train station exhibit would be complete without the most famous train “Thomas The Tank Engine”. All be it a coin operated children’s ride.
WW1 Poster Gallery Exhibit. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.
A new exhibit of WW1 posters is due to open 15 March, 2014 – 2 November, 2014.
WW1 Poster Gallery. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.
Souter Lighthouse from the South. Image courtesy of dkodigital through creative commons.
Souter Lighthouse is located in the village of Marsden in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. The lighthouse was designed by James Douglass and was the first lighthouse in the world to be designed and built to use an alternating current (electricity). When it was opened in 1871 it was the most advanced lighthouse of its time.
The foundation stone of the lighthouse was ceremonially laid by Admiral Collinson’s sister Mrs Blain on 9 June 1869. As mentioned in the Shields Gazette and Daily Telegraph 9 June, 1869. The contract for building the lighthouse and keeper’s cottage was reported in March of the same year as being £8,000.
The lighthouse was a much needed aid for ships that were navigating in nearby waters on South Tyneside. The waters have hidden reefs below them meaning ships could easily be damaged by unseen rocks on the coast. In the year of 1860 it is reported that there were 20 shipwrecks along the coastline. It certainly warrants its reputation as one of the most dangerous coastlines with around 44 shipwrecks per mile of the shores.
Souter Lighthouse. Image courtesy of philip_pky through creative commons.
Souter is located on Lizard Point but takes the name Souter Point which can be found a mile south and was the initial build site of the lighthouse. However it was felt Lizard Point gave better visibility as the cliffs were higher. The name was also kept to avoid confusion with the Lizard Lighthouse in Cornwall.
The Souter’s Light. Image courtesy of damian entwistle through creative commons.
The lighthouse had an 800,000 candle power light which was generated by a carbon arc generator and could be seen for up to 26 miles. Carbon arcs were pioneered in lighthouses by Professor Frederick Hales Holmes in 1840-1875. One of the Holmes generators built in 1867 and used at Souter is now on display at the Science Museum, London. The video below shows how a carbon arc lights work.
The Souter’s foghorn has seen many changes over the years. When the lighthouse was initially built it had a single horn which was a clay and iron pipe design facing straight out to sea. This was replaced in 1873 by a pair of twin horns of the same design but this time angled to spread the noise up and down the coast. These were replaced by twin Rayleigh trumpets in the 1920s however in 1953 these were replaced and gave way to the present diaphone fog horns.
The horns produced a five-second blast every 30 seconds in poor weather up until 1988, when Souter Lighthouse was decommissioned. However it continued to serve as a radio navigation beacon up until 1999 when it was finally closed.
The Souter’s Foghorns. Image courtesy of Danny through creative commons.
The foghorns remain in working order and are sounded on special occasions throughout the year, most notably during the monthly Engine Room Day, which is held at the lighthouse during the summer months.
One of the lighthouses most well known keepers was Robert Darling, the nephew of the well known North East heroin Grace Darling, he was a lighthouse keeper at Souter for 24 years between 1873 – 1897. He continued a tradition of his family of being a lighthouse keeper that dated back to his great grandfather. Born in 1846 Robert never knew his aunt Grace who died young at the age of 27 in 1842.
Grace Darling memorial. Image courtesy of Mags L Halliday through creative commons.
Souter now owned by the National Trust remains in its original operational state except for updates to its lantern and electrics over its lifespan. The engine room, light tower and keeper’s living quarters are all on view to the public. So visitors can experience what life was like to be a Victorian lighthouse keeper. You can also climb to the top of the 76 steps to the top of the lighthouse to see breathtaking views.
One of the lighthouse’s bedrooms. Image courtesy of damian entwistle through creative commons.
There are also two holiday cottages on the site which used to be the lighthouse keepers cottages. However before staying I would check out the fact the lighthouse has been on TV’s “Most Haunted” ghost hunting programme.
Sunderland – Empire Theatre. Image courtesy of ndl642m through creative commons.
The Sunderland Empire is one of the largest theatre venues in the North East, with 1,860 seats and the capacity to accommodate 2,200 when all standing positions are occupied. The auditorium is also one of the few remaining in the UK to have four tiers; the Stalls, the Dress Circle, the Upper Circle and the Gallery. There are also four private boxes on the Dress Circle level, as well as two proscenium (area of the theatre surrounding the stage) boxes on the Upper Circle balcony.
The Theatre, originally called The Empire Palace, was opened 1 July 1907 by Matilda Alice Powles. She was an English drag impersonator who at the age of of 11 adopted the stage name Vesta Tilley and became the most famous and well paid music hall male impersonator of her day. Matilda also laid the foundation stone for the theatre on 29 September 1906.
Vesta Tilley dressed as a Toff. Image courtesy of Vintage Lulu through creative commons.
The dome on top of the 90 ft tower section used to have a revolving sphere which beared the statue of Terpsichore, one of the Greek goddesses which represented dance and song. Though this was removed during WW2 due to safety reasons after a bomb fell nearby which rocked the building. You can still see the original statue at the top of the Theatre’s main staircase as well replica was produced and placed on the top of the dome.
Only recently has the Theatre’s dome and tower been fitted with an LED and floodlight system that illuminates the main entrance at night.
Empire Theatre at night. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.
The theatre enjoyed a lot of success from its variety of performances. Though with a decline in travelling theatre in the 1930’s a projection box was added and the Theatre began to host motion pictures.
Portrait of Tommy Steele from the 1962 Preview Film Album. Image courtesy of joanna tidball through creative commons.
One of the biggest success stories of the time to play at the Empire was Tommy Steele (shown in image above) who made his stage debut on a variety show on the 5 November 1956. He then went on to become regarded as Britain’s first teen idol and rock and roll star and was dubbed Britain’s answer to Elvis Presley. He reached No.1 with Singing the Blues in 1957 and went on to play at the Empire many times.
Tommy Steele Empire Sunderland. Image courtesy of Bradford Timeline.
Due to the rise of television and cinema the Theatre closed in May 1959, however it reopened its doors in 1960 when Sunderland Council bought it. The Empire then went onto host The Beatles in 1963 during their first UK national tour.
Marlene Dietrich with The Beatles at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Nov. 1963. Image courtesy of Judith.
The Empire is also said to be haunted. One of those said to haunt the Theatre is the Carry On Film actor Sid James who suffered a heart attack during a performance of The Mating Season on 26 April 1976 and died on the way to hospital. It is rumoured that his ghost occupies the dressing room he used on the night of his death. Comedian Les Dawson after apparently experiencing this refused to perform at the Empire never again.
Sid James in Carry On Cleo. Image courtesy of RubyGoes through creative commons.Les Dawson. Image courtesy of Dame Agnes Guano through creative commons.
Whilst the ghost of James is said to haunt backstage, the spirits of Vesta Tilley and Molly Moselle are said to haunt the front-of-house areas. Molly Moselle was one of the stage managers for Ivor Novello’s The Dancing Years in 1949. After leaving the Theatre to purchase a birthday card, she disappeared down a nearby alley and was never seen again. The Empire is known as a ‘comic graveyard’ – rather unfortunately due to the points given above.
Nowadays, the Theatre regularly plays host to large-scale musicals, opera, ballet, dance showcases, amateur productions and one-night shows.
Starlight Express. Image courtesy of David through creative commons.
Another big name to grace the Empires stage is Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren who made her stage debut at the Sunderland Empire.
Helen Mirren. Image courtesy of tompickenfrets through creative commons.
The Theatre was also the regular venue for the University of Sunderland’s graduation ceremonies until the theatre’s refurbishment in 2004. Since then the graduation ceremonies have been held at Sunderland AFC’s Stadium of Light.
In 2004 the Theatre underwent a £4.5m redevelopment in order to enable it to host West End shows. This meant that the stage was expanded and the fly tower was heightened. After a 9 month renovation it reopened on 9 December 2004 with a performance of Starlight Express.
The refurbishment also allowed a new production of Miss Saigon to be staged at Sunderland in early 2005.
Miss Saigon ticket.Image courtesy of Pedro Rebelo through creative commons.
On 9 December 2005, the Empire staged a preview performance of the first ever touring production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, starring Tim Flavin and Robin Askwith. The official European premiere of this production also took place on the following Tuesday, 13 December.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Image courtesy of Luke Gattuso through creative commons.
In 2007 the Sunderland Empire celebrated its centenary and hosted a massive line-up of big shows including Starlight Express, The Producers, Footloose, South Pacific and the first pantomime since its refurbishment – Cinderella which starred Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney.
The Empire Theatre is still going strong today and is due to host shows; War Horse, The Lion King and Jersey Boys this year. Along with Dirty Dancing, One Man, Two Guvnors and Comedian Jimmy Carr in 2015.
Jimmy Carr. Image courtesy of -room100 through creative commons.
Wearmouth Bridge. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.
The Wearmouth Bridge is a through arch bridge that crosses the River Wear in Sunderland and is the last bridge before the River Wear’s mouth opens up into the North Sea.
The first bridge opened on this site in 1796 and since then has been reconstructed twice.
This is the transcription of the engraving on the original Wearmouth Bridge when it opened in 1796. Image courtesy of Sunderland Public Libraries through creative commons.
The first bridge 1796 – 1929.
This is an illustration of the original bridge during its first year. Image courtesy of Sunderland Public Libraries through creative commons.
The first Wearmouth Bridge was opened in 1796. The foundation stone was laid in September 1793. This was sponsored by the MP Rowland Burdon. The bridge was designed by Thomas Paine following a similar build in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA.
A Plaque on the side of the current bridge says its construction has “proved to be a catalyst for the growth of Sunderland” since it was opened.
Bridge Plaque. Image courtesy of Pimlico Badger through creative commons.
To gain access between Monkwearmouth and Bishopwearmouth previous to the bridge being built meant you had to get a ferry from one side to the other. As the nearest bridge was at Chester-le-Street. The bridge did initially have a toll for pedestrians but this was abolished in 1846.
This document shows the amount of people using the bridge and how much they paid to cross in 1830. Image courtesy of Sunderland Public Libraries through creative commons.Song sung about abolition of the bridge foot toll. Image courtesy of Sunderland Public Libraries through creative commons.
The Wearmouth Bridge was the second iron made bridge built after the Ironbridge that crosses the River Severn in Shropshire. The bridge was over twice as long as the Ironbridge with a nominal span of 240 feet, and only three-quarters the weight. At the time of the bridge being built it was the biggest single span bridge in the world at 72 m. The bridge was opened to traffic on 9 August, 1796 having cost a total of £28,000 to build.
This financial statement details the cost of the original bridge across the river and highlight the massive amount of resources that went into it. Image courtesy of Sunderland Public Libraries through creative commons.Picture of Micheal Smith. Image and story below courtesy of Sunderland Public Libraries through creative commons.
In 1842 Micheal Smith, a American living in Sunderland, jumped off the Wearmouth Bridge for money, he amazingly survived and swam to the riverbank. The crowds who watched started giving him money as a reward and as a result of this the Police arrested him for begging.
A folk song about Micheal Smith who jumped off the Wearmouth Bridge in 1842. Image courtesy of Sunderland Public Libraries through creative commons.
1805 repair and 1857 reconstruction.
In 1805 the bridge had to be repaired due to heat from the sun causing some of the cross tubes to fall out.
In 1857 up until 1859 the bridge was reconstructed by Robert Stephenson son of George Stephenson the famous locomotive builder and railway engineer.
Statue of Robert Stephenson outside London Euston Station. Image courtesy of martin_vmorris through creative commons.
The bridge was stripped back to its six iron ribs and levelled the hump in the middle by raising the abutments. The bridge was then opened again in March 1859. The toll was then completely abolished in 1885.
The current bridge 1929 – current.
With larger volumes of traffic using the bridge construction began in 1927 to widen it. It was designed by Mott, Hay and Anderson and fabricated by the famous bridge building firm Sir William Arrol & Co in Glasgow ; who also built the Tower Bridge in London as well as the Forth Rail Bridge. The new bridge was built around the old one allowing the bridge to stay open. It was then re-opened on 31 October 1929 by the Duke of York (who would later become King George VI).
The cost of the current bridge amounted to £231,943 of which £12,000 was spent on dismantling the old bridge. This meant the building of the new Wearmouth Bridge cost £203,948 more than it did initially in 1796.
Logo of Sir William Arrol & Co Ltd on the side of a cane. Image courtesy of Diego Iaconelli through creative commons.
The adjoining railway bridge was built in 1879 on the west side of the bridge and extended the railway south from Monkwearmouth to the centre of Sunderland.
Wearmouth Bridge. Image courtesy of Dan Mullen through creative commons.
Wearmouth Bridge from the South end of the bridge. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.
St Peter’s Church & The Monkwerearmouth-Jarrow Monastery. Image courtesy of iknow-uk through creative commons .
St Peter’s Church in Monkwearmouth was built in 674 AD by Benedict Biscop and is one of the oldest churches in Britain, where Christians have gathered for more than 1300 years. This is a place of worship and prayer, pilgrimage and mission.
Benedict Biscop was born in 628 AD and was originally named Biscop Baducing, but after entering religious life he adopted the name Benedict.
At the age of 25 Benedict set out on a pilgramage to Rome where he learnt about Roman Christianity. After returning from Rome Benedict set about encouraging people to follow the religion that he had learnt about whilst on his travels.
During this time many people in Northumbria followed an Irish form of Christianity. However, following Biscop’s encouragement to the local people to follow the Roman Christian faith meant it became more and popular. It became so influential that in 664 AD King
Oswiu, at the Synod of Whitby (A gathering of the church council at Whitby Abbey), decided that the kingdom of Northumbria would follow Roman and not Irish religious practices.
Whitby Abbey where the Synod of Whitby occurred. Image courtesy of Ambersky235 through creative commons.
By 666AD Biscop had travelled to Rome again though on this occasion he travelled through France and took monastic vows at the Monastery of Lérins where he spent the next two years.
Following further visits to Rome Benedict returned home to Northumbria in 673 AD where he was keen to build a monastery. King Oswiu’s successor granted Benedict 70 hides of land near the River Wear (now known as Monkwearmouth) on which he built the Monastery of St. Peter.
St.Peters Church features an Anglo-Saxon porch and tower, (as can be seen in the picture above) its other features include unique carved stones, some of which include intertwined serpents, the consecration cross, ancient burial stones and early glass fragments and stones which date back to Roman times. An outline of the excavated Anglo-Saxon monastic building is in place in the grounds.
St. Peters view from the nave. Image courtesy of Colin through creative commons
At St Peter’s Church visitors can be transported back to the seventh century and learn about the different cultures of that period and learn from its features about the development of Christianity in the Anglo Saxon period. You can also follow a map of the grounds and find out how the landscape and buildings have changed over time.
Carved stone at the entrance of St. Peters with the date it was built 674 AD. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.World Heritage Site. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.
National Glass Centre. Image courtesy of El Bingle through creative commons.
The National Glass Centre is located in Sunderland, on the north banks of the River Wear. The Glass Centre was built on the site of J.L Thompson and Sons shipyard. The centre was built close to St.Peter’s Church which was part of the Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Priory built in 674, as it was here that Benedict Biscop introduced glass making into Britain when he hired French glass makers to make the windows for the priory. This is a key reason as to why the Centre was chose to be built here.
The glass-making industry grew in the eighteenth century because of the fact that cheap coal and high quality sand were easy to import on bulk. This mass production meant that Sunderland glass became known throughout the country.
From the 1920’s up until 2007 Sunderland was acknowledged for producing the well know Pyrex brand of glassware. The company Jobling Purser under license in Britain produced the well known brand that most people associate with kitchenware – as it was virtually unbreakable and easy to clean. The brand was seen as a “must have” for “good-looking cooking” in households throughout Britain after the Second World War.
Advert for Pyrex kitchen ware in a British Needlework magazine dated 1933. Image courtesy of **tWo pInK pOSsuMs** through creative commons.
As the demand for glassware products became fell cheaper alternative ways of making glass came about; it was inevitable that production in Sunderland would soon come to a halt. On 28 th September 2007 Pyrex glass production finally ceased on Wearside when the Sunderland Wear Glass Works in Millfield, once under the ownership of Joblings, closed down. Glass had been manufactured in Sunderland for hundreds of years and and in its hay day the industry employed the largest workforce in the Tyne and Wear area after the shipyards.
National Glass Centre. Image courtesy of Niall Ritchie.
Despite a decline towards the end of the 19th Century for the glass industry in 1998 the Glass Centre was opened costing around £17 million. It was funded by The Arts Council in conjunction with the University of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear Development Corporation, European Regional Development Fund and Sunderland City Council. The centre, located alongside the university’s St. Peter’s campus, was part of the regeneration of the banks of the Wear.
The University, who partly funded the building of the centre, run a Glass and Ceramics Degree on its site. Here you can also find a range of exhibitions showing the history of glass making as well as displays of modern works. You could also take the time to visit the onsite cafe or watch live demonstrations of glassware being made; or if you feel adventurous have a go yourself!
On My Door Step 
